Brownie Points

I’m in English 2010 this semester. I just signed up and let the system pick my class and professor. I ended up in “Writing about Rhetoric” with a professor that I really like! I wasn’t sure about rhetoric, but I think in the long run, it will help me become a better writer. There are other English classes with different topics, but there is no way that “monsters” or the “suburbs” is going to teach me to write better than a class specifically focused on rhetoric.

If you do not know what rhetoric is, don’t feel bad! I didn’t really know what it was either before this class. Although I understand it better now, I’m still not sure how to explain it to someone else…so bear with me.

Rhetoric is about persuasion, word choice, structure, opportunity, and so on. If you know what ethos, logos, and pathos are, then you already know the basics of rhetoric.

Honestly, it’s not that important that you know what rhetoric is, however, the essay down below is a rhetorical analysis. If that means anything to you. [insert winkie face here]

Back to my English class…we’ve written two papers so far, and I’ve actually liked both of them. I’m not sure how many people would say they like writing papers, but depending on what it is, I don’t mind writing them. We’ve done a literacy narrative (I’m still deciding if I should post that one) and the rhetorical analysis that’s down below.

I asked if I could analyze a talk by Jeffrey R. Holland, and my professor said that would be fine. I thought, “sweet! I can grow spiritually AND write a paper for English. Win win!”

Hence the “brownie points.” Analyzing a general conference talk (by Elder Holland no less!!!) for a college english class. Dream come true.

Anyway, keep in mind that the words down below are an essay for my English class, so it’s different than my usual blog writing style. 

ALSO, I have edited it over three times based off of peer reviews we did in class and off of feedback from my professor. I hope you enjoy…and know that there is hope in tomorrow.

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Jeffrey R. Holland: “Tomorrow the Lord Will Do Wonders among You”

    Every six months, there is a devotional broadcast worldwide for members of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (and for anyone interested or wanting to listen). Leaders of the church speak and prepare messages to share; it is called “General Conference.” On April 3, 2016, Jeffrey R. Holland was scheduled to speak on the second day during the second session, filling the spot for the last speaker of conference. As the last speaker for General Conference, Holland had an important role: wrap everything up nicely and share one last thing that might hopefully stick in members’ minds. 

Holland has always been someone who is kind and extremely compassionate; his talks are almost always focused on inspiring hope, comforting those in need of comfort, and reminding people of their importance and divine worth. Although other leaders of the church do this too, Holland has a special talent in speaking to the hearts of those listening. Jeffrey R. Holland, in “Tomorrow the Lord Will Do Wonders among You,” passionately motivates and inspires members to keep going and keep trying through humor, specific biblical allusions, as well as with an extremely loving tone that appeals to the audience’s need to feel loved and noticed.

Jeffrey R. Holland takes advantage of the fact that many believe that jokes and humor are a good way of getting people feeling comfortable and more open to what one has to say; he does this by telling a joke or two as well as by expressing things in a light-hearted and informal manner, working towards motivating and inspiring his audience to keep trying and keep believing. After conveying his great love for his audience and highlighting what a wonderful weekend it has been, he states that he does, however, see a couple of problems: “One is the fact that I am the only person standing between you and the ice cream you always have ready at the close of general conference” (par. 3). Immediately shoulders relax and smiles form, several laughs and chuckles escape the lips of those listening. Ears perk up. Hearts soften. People are ready to listen. This simple statement, the understanding that it has been a long weekend and that he is the last to speak, relates and empathizes with the audience. Therefore, the relaxing of shoulders, the ears perking up, even the giggles leaving mouths, all prepare his audience to truly hear what he has to say, and most importantly, to be comforted and inspired. To be validated. To be understood. To be motivated to keep going.

In addition to being validating with that simple phrase, Holland surprisingly shares a meme (it is not often speakers do this, especially in general conference). The picture is of a Tyrannosaurus Rex chasing two little kids. The word “tomorrow” is by the dinosaur and the word “us” in the middle of the two children. After sharing this, he says, “My apologies to all the children who are now hiding under the sofa, but the fact of the matter is none of us want tomorrow, or the day after that, to destroy the wonderful feelings we have had this weekend” (par. 4). Nowadays (and back in 2016), most everyone relates and finds humor in memes. They are an easy way to relate to one’s audience and teach a lesson or get a point across. The meme Holland shares is perfect for this; many are fearful of what “tomorrow” might bring. The weekend will end and reality will come crashing in. Holland knows this and expresses to his audience that he feels that too. He gets it. Through humor, Holland relates to his audience, opens their hearts (and gets their attention), as well as validates them. By doing all of these things, he is preparing to share that the feelings of dread towards tomorrow are understandable but also, luckily, not entirely true. He is preparing to share that there is hope for tomorrow, members are doing a great job, and they should continue to keep going and keep trying.

    Not only does Holland personally relate to the audience, he also uses biblical allusions of religious leaders of the past dealing with the frustrations of the real world after a special spiritual experience: Jesus, after having the heavens opened and hearing from His father (God), came down from the mountain to find “His disciples and their antagonists” in an argument (par. 8). Similarly, Moses came down from the mount after an extremely spiritual moment only to find his people corrupted and worshiping “a golden calf” (par. 7). Holland then says, “Realizing that we all have to come down from peak experiences to deal with the regular vicissitudes of life, may I offer this encouragement as general conference concludes” (par. 9). He then goes on to say, “please don’t be cast down in spirit and don’t give up. The gospel, the Church, and these wonderful semi annual gatherings are intended to give hope and inspiration. They are not intended to discourage you” (par. 10). In sharing examples of strong and resilient spiritual leaders of the past (from the bible and from the scriptures), Holland hopes to express that even people of great power and strength struggle–even Jesus! Even still, these people persevered and went about doing good. Even with hard times, these men did not give up. Holland explains to his audience that they can persevere too; they can keep trying and keep going and keep being who they are even amidst hard times and feelings of dread. Holland knows that everything will be okay, so he focuses on instilling hope and sharing love through his biblical allusion examples. Best of all, Holland does this with an extremely loving tone and attitude.

    At the very beginning of his talk, the very first sentence in fact, Holland expresses his love and admiration for the members, creating a tone of empathy, love, and sincerity: “Brothers and sisters, do you have any idea—do you have any notion or inkling whatsoever—of how much we love you?” as well as (at the end of the first paragraph), “You sing and you pray. You listen and you believe. You are the miracle of this Church. And we love you” (par. 1). Right off the bat, Holland expresses his (and the other leaders of the church) love. There is not a better way to get people to understand that they are cared for than to express how much they are loved, noticed, and seen. That they matter. When people feel loved, noticed, and seen, they are more likely to listen and care about what one has to say–what one has to share. A message of love is perfect in inspiring and motivating one’s audience to not give up, to persevere, to try again. 

As mentioned above, Holland has a unique talent in infusing love into each talk he gives, adding power to his words and strength to his message that those listening are loved and are recognized. After explaining that Heavenly Father (God) and Jesus Christ want us to be happy and are proud of our efforts, Holland says, “So keep loving. Keep trying. Keep trusting. Keep believing. Keep growing. Heaven is cheering you on today, tomorrow, and forever” (par. 19). There is not a better way to motivate and inspire others to keep going than to say that they are being noticed for their efforts and are being cheered on! The combination of these sentences comes together to create a very powerful message of love. Of hope. Of happiness. His tone, the love he puts into every word, truly expresses how much he cares and wants his audience to be happy and know that they are doing well. That everything is going to be okay.

As the last speaker in General Conference, one has an important job to do, and Jeffrey R. Holland does it just right. He reinforces the messages that were shared but also expresses that one should not overwhelm themselves trying to fix and change everything they could be better at. Instead, he says that he is proud of members and their resiliency. He then closes with a hope filled message that tomorrow “the Lord will do wonders among you” (par. 25). It is a perfect and extremely effective ending to a weekend of uplifting talks and messages. Holland’s goal in motivating members to keep trying and keep believing is easily accomplished through his happy spirits and jokes, his examples of religious leaders from the past, as well as with his loving tone strewn throughout the entire talk. Holland truly cares and loves his audience. He cares about the message he has to share. He wants members (and anyone listening) to know that they matter, their efforts are being noticed, and that everything will be okay. There is hope for tomorrow.

Holland, J. R. (2016, April 3). Tomorrow the Lord Will Do Wonders among You. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Retrieved February 11, 2022, from https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2016/04/tomorrow-the-lord-will-do-wonders-among-you?lang=eng